Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-16

Ne more urique, distinctive, and at the
same time popular character stands before
the people to-day than Ella Wheeler
Wilcox.
Born in Wisconsin village some thirty
odd years ago, when Wisconsin was not
nuch more than frontier state. without
Influential friends or family, and without
money, she made for herself rsme in
literature which commanded attention
before she was eighteen years old. To
one who knows it in detail her history
| reads like fairy story. Reared on 3
western prairie, she is an ornsment &c
| no most brilliant circles of the metrop-
olis1
ole had never seen an editor or literary
person and knew nothing Of the methods
| If getting into print when, at fourteen,
she read Der first production TO the press
The New York Mercury published these
childish efforts which were written in
prose and under nom-de-plumes.
1t declined the first poem she ever sent
for publication, snd the editor sarcastic
'llv advised her to "Crush her ambitions
to be poet"
The Waverly Magazine has the honor
20 be the first 20 present the name of Ella
Wheeler to the public.
Frank Leslie sent her the first check
"he ever received at seventeen years OF
age.
From that time to the present day she
has never swerved nor fsltered in the
steady, hard climb toward success.
= She never sent manuscript IN her life
for criticism and never asked for aid or
influence in her literary ventures
During the last fifteen yesrs Ella
Wheeler has probably been the most crit
icised, abused, praised, miscOnstrued srd
admired woman in the literary world.
Without particle Of effort to create a
sensation, everything she has in that
tine written has had the effect Of stirring
up criticism.
Her writings seem to be possessed of q
certsln something combustible in their
composition, that on striking outer air
invariably rends it with more or less of
an explosion.
Her first published book was "Drops of
Water" s cole ction Of juvenile temper
ance verses. These were crude but filed
with the dramatic enthusiasm which has so
permeated her later work, and provoked
praise and censure in proportionate GUAM
titles from the contending forces on the
liquor question.
"Shells," a little volume now out of
print, comes next.
"Msurinne," by many considered her
finest work, and the famous Poems of
Passion which set the literary world on
fire, followed within three years of each
other.
Columns Of abuse and praise items rid
Euling and eulogizing the latter volume
flled all the papers in the country.
Some of her friends urged her to sup
press the book after its first appearance, |
but strong in the courage of her convic- :
tons, she read the severe and unjust re- |
views through tears, not uDmixed with |
smiles at sight OF the golden coins which |
the c mments of the critics,
Many OF these dollars were spent IN
building home for aging parents, and
much Of the halo now surrounding this
remarks BILE Womsn's life is the re Fiction
If the generous deeds Of her early monied
life.
Milws ukee people gave her "heneftn
n May, 1883. when she was made the sub
ect of speech by United States Sena-
or and was presented with china basket
$500 in gold.
Long before her happy marriage in May,
SS4, with the elegant and cultivated gem
leman who brought her to the east, her
aTue was household word and she was
welcome guest in the best circles of the |
rest northeast.
To her rare genius were added unusual
races of person. She was q brilliant
nd tactful talAer, good dancer, and q !